Study of a newly developed low-power cold plasma electrostatic filter for purification of gas flow from ultrafine polydisperse particulate matter

Özet

The extraction of particulate matter (PM) from gas streams is a major challenge in industrial and environmental settings, especially for ultrafine and polydisperse particles that conventional filters capture inefficiently. This study investigates a low-power cold plasma electrostatic filter designed to improve energy efficiency under these constraints. The device operates at electrode voltages up to 6 kV, unlike conventional electrostatic precipitators requiring high energy input, reducing operating costs. It uses cold plasma ionization to create an electric field that captures ultrafine particles (0.4–10 microns) with over 99% efficiency at gas flow rates of 1 m/s. Experiments show an average deposition efficiency of 88% for particles below 1 micrometer, even at concentrations of 35,000 particles per liter. These results demonstrate its suitability for industrial gas purification and emission control. The findings emphasize cold plasma advantages, lowering voltage requirements and enabling compact designs for stationary and mobile systems. Future research will examine current intensity and electrode design to further improve performance in applications with fluctuating pollution loads and flow conditions.